Adam Rubin Chat

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

[Comment From Mazzilli Vanilli] Hi, David. Thanks for your work. I accepted a long time ago that Mike Piazza is (or has been) a likely PED abuser. But it's one thing to believe it and another (I think) to run with it in print. Don't you think Murray Chass and Jeff Pearlman are running with speculation and hearsay? What standard do you think a reporter should have for outing a guy as a cheat? Do you think that the back page of a tabloid has the same standard as section A of the Times? Or should have the same standard? I was prepared for this story, but I expected, when the other shoe dropped with Mike, it would be based on a better source than Reggie Jefferson saying, "Everybody knows Mike did it?" Everybody? Then follow up with some supporting names closer to the situation maybe. Build a real case.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I must've broken the chat module.

[metirish]

Hey MV -- I agree with all of your points. Accusing someone of doing steroids is a much, much larger issue than trade rumors or blind items on Page Six. There needs to be solid proof -- not just a player such as Reggie Jefferson spouting off about something thart he heard. Take SI for instance. They had the A-Rod story confirmed on a number of fronts before goign with it because they knew of the legal implications. There's only way to out someone as a cheat -- with evidence. Just throwing out names, or making statements without backing them up sufficiently, is not evidence. It's irresponsible.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Duffy Dyer Maker is too good a handle for a one-off question.

[Guest sharpie]

I worked on a parody at one point with that title but it didn't get any better after the title.

[metirish]

Oh Janet , my thoughts exactly

[Guest Edgy DC]

Interactive Zep parody time:

Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

You know how to throw, oh-oh-oh-oh

But still you back up Gro', oh-oh-oh-oh

'Cuz you're fat and white and... slow

You go.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Duffy Dyer Maker is too good a handle for a one-off question.[/quote:11rjqm9o]

Bonus points if you can tell me how "D'yer Mak'er" is properly pronounced.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Jamaica.

[metirish]

That's a 10 out of 20?...I kid

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Jamaica.[/quote:2txnb3li]

Awesome!

I cringe when I head DJs get it wrong.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Newsday's David Lennon chatting NOW.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

[Comment From Planet Boisclair] Hey David, Coming off a bad year, off to a rotten start, hurt already and a free agent to be: When do the Mets stop pretending Brian Schneider should continue as the "No 1 catacher"? 11:33 Good point, PB. They put him on the DL awfully fast this weekend and he could be slipping on the depth chart. At least it's his last year. Schneider's role could be further dimished in the weeks ahead as Manuel raved about Omir Santos yesterday.

Hey I got a "good point" award.

[Guest Edgy DC]

[Comment From ZuZus Nettles] HI, Kat. It seemed clear from the length of the Sabathia deal and the size of his body that the trick was to get what you can up front, and accept that the deal would turn bad at the back end. Do you think anybody in the front office is as nervous as the fans in the seats... fearing that deal is already looking like a white elephant? 1:05 ZuZus, Not yet they aren't. Sabathia is often a slow starter. In fact, last April, he was way worse than he has been this April. However, if we don't see some dominant performances in the next several weeks, you can bet there will be major concerns in the front office.

No such award for for me from Kat O'Brien.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Comment from Tom Comment from Diane Comment from Brian Comment from Hugh

Can't these people come up with a handle?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

You're into that redheaded young Lass arent you.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's all her, I swear.

[metirish]

What's with Lennon and the 11AM chats?

A few nuggets from today's chat.

[Comment From Bill] David, great job covering the Mets for us Mets fans. You think they will keep Santos and find a way to dump either Schneider or Castro? 11:04 Thanks Bill. I'm starting to think that's a real possibility. The front office is not a big fan of either Schneider or Castro, and Manuel has really been talking up Santos. I think they will option Santos back to Buffalo if Schneider is ready to return this weekend. But if Schneider falters, the Mets may have to dump either him or Castro to keep Santos on the roster. It's a possibility. [Comment From Tom] Hi Dave. On the radio it's been mentioned that David Wright, who is viewed as the future captain of this team, cannot openly take charge and lead in the locker room because he still defers to Carlos Delgado when push comes to shove. Is this true and if so, do you think that needs to change for this team to succeed? 11:13 Hey Tom - No, I don't think that's true. I talked to Wright about that in spring training and he said he was not intimidated by anyone in the clubhouse. He's fine with calling people out when necessary. Plus, right now, Wright is not playing well enough to take the reins of this team. He has his own issues to work out at the plate. When that happens, it can be tough for players to look at the big picture. Wright should be captain of this team at some point -- and maybe it won't happen until Delgado's contract runs out at the end of this season. But I don't believe Wright defers to him. [Comment From Sam] How long can the Mets afford to let Daniel Murphy stumble around in left field? At some point, do they have to send him down to the minors to actually learn to play the position, or maybe a different position? 11:17 Hey Sam -- the Mets can't afford to have Murphy make one spectacular misplay per game. It just can't happen at this level. But I'm not sure what the breaking point is yet. Honestly, I think they're a better team with Tatis in LF and Castillo batting second. It just makes more sense. Tatis is no great defender, but he's a significant upgrade from Murphy. That's their best lineup, in my opinion. [Comment From Neil Best] Why are the lines at the Shake Shack longer than in other locations? 11:22 Ladies and Gentlemen ... Neil Best! I'm flattered if this is really you Neil and not some WatchDog imposter. As for the lines, I think Shake Shack -- like its Bryant Park location -- benefits from the hype. The burgers are phenomenal. But when it comes to bang for your buck, I favor the Taco Combo ($9.50) at El Verano Taqueria, which is directly across from Shake Shack. Much shorter lines, a brief wait and THREE different tacos with three different salsas. They even give you a fresh lime to squirt on them. [Comment From Tom] The Mets built Citi Field to be a park that rewards speed, pitching and defense. Why? This team is noticeably deficient in all these areas. 11:36 Well put, Tom. The Mets wanted to make Citi a pitcher's park like Shea and they've succeeded at that. They may need to make more alterations to their roster to take full advantage, however. Having Beltran in CF is a good start, but it's obvious they need to keep Church out there too. Otherwise, it's been a challenge for Murphy. I do believe the Mets can be a good gap-hitting team. They just haven't shown it yet. [Comment From Mitch] Love Daniel Murphy but I think it's time for him to go to AAA and learn how to play LF. Remember when veterans asked if team was "really trying" during Greg Jefferies 2B conversion? Although it appears that team likes/respects Murphy, it's hard to keep playing him with Tatis, Shef, and even Jeremy Reed all on the bench. 11:48 I agree Mitch. But I'm not sure Murphy will ever be a "good" leftfielder. No one works harder than Murphy. He's out there every day before every game. But that doesn't mean he can become something he's not. Maybe he just can't be a solid reliable defender, even if he does go to Buffalo. I think Tatis should be playing there.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

The Schneid is eligible to come back on Sunday and is expected to. I suppose the only answer now is to demote Santos but who knows.

[nymr83]

The Schneid is eligible to come back on Sunday and is expected to. I suppose the only answer now is to demote Santos but who knows.[/quote:kmekpnm7]

Well they could always pretend that whatever minor ailment is keeping Castro out is serious enough for a 15-day DL trip so he can get himself healthier while Santos remains available to backup Schneider, especially if Schneider is not yet ready to play every day.

[soupcan]

The tacos don't live up to the hype.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Rubin goes at 1pm today.

Duffy Dyer Maker ain't throwing any meatballs

[metirish]

Boy but I'm lame, I'm sure my question is buried as I spent fully five minutes trying to think of a cool name....lame....metirish wants to know about Delgado....

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Holy shit this guy brings it strong.

[Comment From Duffy Dyer Maker] Pardon my French but WTF is up with Putz excusing his pitching woes by suggesting he can't get the energy up for pitching the 8th? Perhaps he'd like to pitch the 5th inning instead, because that's what his performance would indicate. The fans by the way see right through the painstaking attempt to create an illusion of a lockdown endgame, to the point where they're (over)using Putz simply because he's been anointed as the "8th inning guy." Do you think there will come a point where they just try and win games instead? Thanks and keep up the great work.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Adam Rubin Replies:

Thanks for the kind words. I heard J.J. on WFAN yesterday suggest that it�s hard to duplicate the adrenaline in the eighth inning. I actually understand it. But what he told me a few days earlier, not assigning blame or anything, is that he just feels a little worn down by getting leaned on so much to pitch. He insisted there was no specific injury - just generally feeling a little blah by how much he�s relied upon.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Good answer.

[metirish]

It's a concerning answer too and speaks to what you are saying, certain bullpen guys getting overused already.

[metirish]

[Comment From metirish] Adam , Interim Jerry was a lot better than full time Jerry....last season he was pushing his starters to go that extra batter or inning and this year he's got the quick hook working and in my opinion overusing his pen. 1:28 The one thing I would point out is that interim Jerry was managing in the second half of the season. Full-time Jerry is managing in the first half. He�s specifically said with respect to Johan Santana that he doesn�t want to gas him now so there are those same bullets left late.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Lennon is on Newsday.com NOW!!!!

Look for questions from Jackson Todd is God and Joel Oldblood

[metirish]

Not what Jackson Todd wanted to hear?